no. 3: goldenrod pastries and a virtual book signing
three questions with pastry chef angela garbacz
First, wow! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to this newsletter. I was honestly hoping I would get 50 signups, but now the list is up to 369 people! I appreciate all of you for reading and I hope that these emails give you a little bit of joy.
I’m bringing guests into this newsletter and starting a little bit of a series inspired by the way this social isolation has affected me and many others. Intimacy is different now—we can’t spend time with friends and loved ones, we’re depending on impersonal technology to connect in these superficial ways. We’re all dealing with “all over the place” feelings of stress and our brains are adapting to cope, and maybe sometimes because of that we have less capacity to go deep. It’s not about deep stuff. It’s sometimes just about getting through this moment and getting to the next moment, over and over, every day, and trying not to miss the beautiful and happy things that happen along the way.
So in this series, I’m asking interesting people three simple questions. Not too many, and not too deep. My first guest is Angela Garbacz, the brilliant woman who started Lincoln-based Goldenrod Pastries in 2015 for people seeking high-end, inspired pastries in Nebraska and throughout the Midwest. When I was running my boutique, Hello Holiday, we did several events with Angela at Goldenrod. Her knack for hospitality and expertise for her craft has led to opportunities to work with Martha Stewart, features in Fortune, Playboy, and New York Magazine, and to being named one of the “most innovative women in food and drink” by Food & Wine Magazine.
Now Angela is releasing her first book, Perfectly Golden. And I asked her three simple questions.
all photos in this edition by daniel muller
What’s something you’re really excited about right now?
Angela: My first cookbook, Perfectly Golden: Adaptable Recipes for Sweet and Simple Treats, is released April 28! With everyone spending more time at home, I hope this will be the dose of positivity and a great guide to baking that people are looking for right now. Of course my book is full of recipes that we make at my bakery (that can all be made gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or vegan), Goldenrod Pastries, and recipes passed down in my family - but there are also a lot of stories in my book that I find to be really important.
I had my mom, Mary Garbacz, write an essay for the book. When she asked for a prompt on what to write, I said, “Just write about your experiences cooking with significant women in your life.” Here’s an excerpt from what she wrote:
“My mother, Helen Dow Cariotto, was born in Nebraska in 1912. She told a story of the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918 that killed more than 675,000 people in America alone - scores of millions worldwide. She was the only one in her family of five who did not contract the flu, and at the age of six, she stoked the woodstove, lit the fire, and prepared hot chocolate for her bedridden parents and siblings.”
What’s getting you through your day?
Snacks and meals always get me through the day! I make peppermint tea once I’m tapped out on coffee. It cuts through all of the sugar and potato chips I eat. I travel(ed) a lot for work - my last trip was to Houston in February. I’m starting to feel the itch for foods from places I know I won’t visit for a while. Whenever I go to NYC, the place I travel to the most, I always have Korean kimchi tofu stew. I have no clue when the next time will be that I get to my favorite NYC Korean restaurant for my favorite bowl of soup in the world, so I am going to try making it at home this week.
What’s something you want everyone to know right now?
Keep in mind that the people making your food and delivering it, answering the phones, ringing up and bagging your groceries - we are all doing our best. I think we all have to keep some grace and compassion in mind for everyone we are working with right now. Everyone’s base level of stress is super high and the people going into work right now is focusing on being safe while also giving you the best experience they can.
On Sunday, April 26, Lincoln-based bookseller Francie & Finch is hosting an online book talk and signing to kick off Angela’s book tour. I encourage you to sign up and check it out, to support two important and amazing woman owned businesses. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive.
photo from angela garbacz
What I’m listening to:
Currents from Tame Impala. A lot of people think this band is basic but I think this is a perfect album. This week has had me in a huge slump, and my friend Anna reminded me that this album got her through some rough times. True, same. It’s been on repeat here for two days. This is their 2015 album. Their new album released in February, The Slow Rush, is also perfect.
The “Chill” station on Sirius XM.
The song “Love Me For Real” by Ghanan recording artist Rim Kwaku Obeng—1982 Afro-funk—and wherever the rabbit hole has taken me from there. Oh all his music is so good.
Have I made any bread?
No
More to come. If you know someone who would like this in their inbox, forward it to them and tell your friends to subscribe. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, too. Stay home, and stay safe!
Meg